As part of their 30th anniversary season, BBC National Chorus of Wales will join the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at the Royal Albert Hall, to represent Wales at the iconic First Night of the Proms on Friday 18 July.
Performing Elgar’s The Kingdom under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis, it’s the first time that the Chorus have performed at the First Night of the Proms since 2003. The talented Chorus has become a regular performer at the BBC Proms since their formation in 1983. No strangers to television or radio appearances, they will be singing live on BBC Two on the First Night – one of the annual highlights of the BBC Proms, the world-famous festival at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The performance was announced today (Thursday 24 April) as part of the launch of this year’s BBC Proms season, where BBC National Orchestra of Wales will be representing Wales in four concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.
Michael Garvey, Director of the Orchestra and Chorus, said: “We’re proud to be flying the flag once again for Wales at the BBC Proms, which year-on-year gives us the unique opportunity to showcase our work on the world stage. Not only will our Chorus be appearing in the First Night – a testimony to their talent and professionalism – but they will also be joining us for Duruflé’s Requiem under former Principal Conductor Thierry Fischer.
“Thomas Søndergård’s Proms to date have already demonstrated the excellence and creativity that our relationship with him has embodied – and we’re particularly delighted to be bringing music by Nielsen and Sibelius to the Proms, which Thomas expertly conducted in Cardiff last season. It should prove to be a fantastic summer of music, and we’re immensely looking forward to the experience.”
BBC Cymru Wales Director, Rhodri Talfan Davies said: “Thomas Søndergård’s debut performances at the BBC Proms last year were spellbinding – and I can’t wait to see our new Principal Conductor and the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales on stage again this year.
“Our players and singers are always fantastic ambassadors for Wales when they perform at the Proms. And with an exciting programme for the Orchestra, and the Chorus’s appearance on the First Night of the Proms, Wales will be very well represented in London this summer.”
BBC Cymru Wales has also announced today that the venue for this year’s BBC Proms in the Park will be Singleton Park in Swansea.
On Saturday, September 13, Wales will join other parks around the UK for the BBC Proms Last Night celebrations. Swansea will host an evening of spectacular open-air music from the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales.
At this year’s BBC Proms in London, BBC National Orchestra of Wales will give a total of four performances, including two concerts led by the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor Thomas Søndergård. Across two evenings he will bring two Scandinavian masterpieces to the Proms – conducting Nielsen’s Symphony No 5 on Monday 11 August, and Sibelius’s Symphony No 5 on Tuesday 12 August. Thomas first conducted these works with the Orchestra as part of last year’s St David’s Hall concert season in Cardiff, with his interpretations earning rave reviews.
The Orchestra will also be bringing Welsh music to the BBC Proms, with a performance of William Mathias’s Violin Concerto, performed by Matthew Trusler on Wednesday 6 August. It will be conducted by the Orchestra’s former Principal Conductor, Mark Wigglesworth.
Another highlight will be the Orchestra’s performance of a world premiere by their Composer-in-Association, Simon Holt. The first performance of Morpheus Wakes, a flute concerto to be performed by Emmanuel Pahud, will be at the BBC Proms on Sunday 27 July.
Booking for the BBC Proms in London opens at 9am on Saturday 17 May. From today, concert-goers can plan their ticket purchases in advance by using the Proms Planner, available online at bbc.co.uk/proms. The website also contains information about all of this year’s Proms, which runs from 18 July to 13 September.
Booking details for BBC Proms in the Park will be announced over the summer – to keep up to date with event news, go online at bbc.co.uk/proms or follow @bbcproms on Twitter.
For more information about the Orchestra, visit their website at bbc.co.uk/now.
